Social Entrepreneurs Ireland

No. All applications must be submitted directly online using the online application form. Applications are currently closed but will reopen in early 2013.

4. What happens when I submit an application?

Once all the applications have been submitted, a thorough review process will take place. For a full breakdown of the review process and associated timelines please click here.

5. What will happen if I forgot to include something in my application form?

All required questions in the application form are marked with an asterisk*. Once you have submitted your application you will not be able to amend it. Please be sure to review your work carefully before you submit it.

6. Must I meet all of the eligibility criteria to be eligible for an award?

Yes, you must meet all of the eligibility criteria. The eligibility criteria aim to ensure that applicants meet the basic requirements for participation on the Awards Programme. If you have a question on eligibility please email applications@socialentrepreneurs.ie.

7. How many social entrepreneurs will become Awardees in 2012?

Following the review process, three social entrepreneurs will be selected for our 2012 Impact Programme and five will be selected for the 2012 Elevator Programme.

8. What do I get if my application is successful?

Three applicants will become part of the Impact Programme, an intensive programme of support to the value of €200,000 to help them develop the impact of their projects/organisations over the course of two-three years.

Five applicants will become part of the Elevator Programme which provides support to the value of €35,000 over a one year period.

9. Do I have to be the originator of the idea or have been directly involved since the beginning of the project?

No, you don’t necessarily have to be the originator of the idea, but should currently be the main driver and decision maker of the project/organisation. You should be passionate about and committed to the work you do and have an entrepreneurial spirit and outlook.

10. My idea is for a project outside Ireland, am I eligible?

No. If your project activities only take place outside Ireland and the communities benefiting from your activities are outside Ireland then you are not eligible to apply.

11. My project has activities both in Ireland and abroad, am I eligible?

If a significant proportion of the work you do takes place in Ireland and if you can clearly demonstrate the social benefit which these activities bring to the communities you work with in Ireland, then you may be eligible to apply, provided you meet the rest of the application criteria.

12. I am not living in Ireland, can I apply?

No, the Awards Programme is only open to social entrepreneurs living in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

13. Why must an idea or project you support be innovative?

Ireland still suffers from a number of entrenched social problems. In order to address these issues we believe that new, innovative thinking is needed. However, these innovative ideas often struggle to get support, particularly in the early stages of their development. Therefore, through our Awards Programme we support individuals who bring new ideas and fresh perspectives to these problems.

14. Why do you make awards to individuals rather than organisations?

We believe that the individual behind an idea is as important as the idea itself. As such we look to support the social entrepreneurs who are going to drive social change. Through our Awards Programme we then focus on supporting and developing the social entrepreneur so that they are better able to develop the impact of their project/organisations.

15. I am applying for an Award but cannot commit myself to working full-time, can I apply?

We believe that social entrepreneurs need to fully commit themselves to developing their project/organisation in order to have maximum impact. Therefore, all Social Entrepreneurs Ireland Awardees must be able to commit to working full-time or equivalent on their projects if they are successful in gaining a place on the Impact Programme.

16. If I am selected, how much time must I commit to the Awards Programme?

The Awards Programme is tailored to meet the needs of the individual social entrepreneur, with the programme structure agreed at the beginning of the award. The time commitment for each Awardee will be slightly different, but it’s important to note that the Programme will require significant input from the Awardee.

17. If I am selected to receive an Award, why must I commit to participating in the Awards Programme?

The support structure provided through the Impact and Elevator Programmes is at the heart of the Award. It comprises both financial support and a tailored support programme designed to help social entrepreneurs to maximise their impact and support their personal development. Awardees must commit to participating fully in the programme to gain the benefits it offers.

18. What sectors or project areas do you support?

We are not limited to any specific sector or area to support, and are open to supporting projects in any sector, once the potential for social change can be demonstrated.

In the past we have supported projects in a wide range of areas including education and learning, children and young people, older people, mental health, people with disabilities, the environment, community development and new communities.

19. How can the Award be spent?

The financial support provided by Social Entrepreneurs Ireland is split between restricted and unrestricted funding.

While there are some broad constraints to how the unrestricted funding is spent (for example we will not fund illegal activities) we consider the Awardee to be the person best suited to decide how their project can benefit from the financial support. The unrestricted funding may be used, for example, to fund the salary of the social entrepreneur or specific initiatives. Personal expenses incurred while working on the project may also be covered by the unrestricted funding.

The restricted funding can be used to pay for a range of capacity building activities that directly help to develop and grow the project/organisation. Examples of such activities include strategic planning, business planning, staff development, financial modelling etc.

These will be agreed with Social Entrepreneurs Ireland as part of the Awards Programme.

20. My organisation is a for-profit organisation, am I eligible to apply?

Yes. We support both for-profit and not-for-profit projects/organisations. Once you can demonstrate that the primary focus of the project/organisation is to address a societal issue, you are eligible to apply.

21. I have previously applied for an Award from Social Entrepreneurs Ireland, can I re-apply?

Each year we receive a greater number of applications and those applications are of an increasingly high standard. We would only recommend reapplying if your project or idea has made significant progress since you last applied for an Award.

22. Am I eligible to apply if I have previously received an Award from Social Entrepreneurs Ireland or a similar funder?

Yes, you are eligible to apply provided you meet all other criteria.

23. I have submitted an application. When will I know whether I have been successful?

We will let you know whether you have been successful in reaching the second stage of our application process by mid-March 2012. The complete timelines for the awards process are available here.

24. If my application is successful, when will the Awards Programme begin?

The Awards Programme will begin shortly after we complete the review process in autumn 2012.

25. How is Social Entrepreneurs Ireland funded?

Social Entrepreneurs Ireland is funded by a range of private foundations, corporate partners and individuals. For more information, please visit our Partners page

26. My project is run by a partnership of two people, can I apply?

Yes, partnerships are eligible to apply. For the purposes of the application form we would ask that you choose one person to apply, and you will be asked for more information about the partnership during the application process.

27. Can I apply for just the Elevator or just the Impact Programme?

No. You must apply to the Awards Programme and we will decide in the course of our evaluation which applicants will go forward to each of our two programmes.